Kyiv is becoming the street-art capital of Europe.
New murals, colorful and monochrome, have appeared on Kyiv buildings in the last year. The people behind many of them are ArtUnitedUs — an urban art group invites street artists from around the world to create works in Kyiv.
The project’s first work is a giant mural entitled “Labyrinth,” painted by Russian artist Rustam Qbic of Kazan. It is on a house on Dmytriyivska Street in central Kyiv and has won wide acclaim. It was featured as one of the best 10 new street art works in the world by the StreetArtNews website.
But there’s much more art of this type to be seen while walking around the capital. The Kyiv Post has picked three walking routes that feature the best murals.
Route One: Podil This route takes 38 minutes to walk (2.8 kilometers)
This route starts with “The River Crossing” by Australian artist Fintan Magee at 19/22 Voloska St. The mural, featuring a man with a stag, is themed on the importance of saving the environment, and is painted on the building of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service.
A man walks past “The River Crossing” mural on 19/22 Voloska St. on April 11 in Kyiv. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Continuing through the capital’s historic Podil district, next is a mural created by a Brazilian artist Nunca, aka Francisco Rodrigues da Silva, depicting Brazilian hands drawing the face of a Ukrainian Cossack. It is located at 6A Spaska St.
The next mural, at 4 Hryhoryia Skovorody St. , is themed on the importance of knowledge. It depicts two children reading books and traveling to other worlds. It was painted by Volodymyr Manzhos, a participant of the Ukrainian street art duo Interesni Kazki, and French artist Julien Malland on a wall of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
The next stop is just off Andriyivsky Uzviz (33 Borychiv Tik St.), where the post-EuroMaidan creation “Renaissance” by Malland and Oleksiy Kyslov from Sevastopol can be seen. The mural shows a Ukrainian woman holding a child in one hand, and laying her other hand on a city in a protective gesture. She is “protecting” Kyiv.
After ascending Andriyivsky Uzviz, we come to a mural at 7 Desyatynnyi Lane . Argentine artist Franco Fasoli, known as Jaz, painted this work in the style of Mexican mythology: It shows a man with an eagle’s head. Activists and local citizens were against the mural — they wanted a different artwork.
A work by Spanish artist Aryz is on a wall of a building on 6A Velyka Zhytomyska St. on April 11 in Kyiv. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Also controversial is the next painting on 6A Velyka Zhytomyska St. , by Aryz, a Spanish street artist. The mural shows a man with a stick. As Aryz was working, a nun spilled his paint in protest. The mural depicts a large image of a man in Aryz’s illustrative style.
The last work is on 22 Mykhailivska St., where Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto dedicated a mural to EuroMaidan activist Serhiy Nigoyan, who was shot and killed by the police during protests in 2014.
The Heavenly Hundred garden, established by activists and devoted to
people killed during the Revolution of Dignity, is also to be found
here.
A mural depicts slain EuroMaidan Revolution activist Serhiy Nihoyan at 22 Mykhailivska St. in Kyiv. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Route Two: Golden Gate
This route takes 15 minutes to walk (1.3 kilometers)
A shorter but no less spectacular route starts at 7B Reitarska St. with a mural depicting ravens, painted by Ukrainian artist Oleksandr Brytsev. It is located in a courtyard frequented by Kyiv’s ubiquitous crows.
The next mural on this route is at 28 Striletska St. It depicts the well-known Ukrainian poet Lesya Ukrainka and is themed on her poem “Lily of the Valley.” Australian artist Guido van Helten spent two weeks creating the work.
The next artwork also features birds – storks — and is located on 9 Heorhiivsky Lane . It was created by an artist from Lviv — Taras Arm.
Next on the itinerary is a mural entitled “Gymnast” at 12 Striletska St. Painted by artist Fintan Magee, it depicts the medal-winning Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast Anna Rizatdinova.
Continuing down the street, there is an artwork entitled “Time of Change” at 4 Striletska St. It was painted by Volodymyr Manzhos from art duo Interesni Kazki. It shows a multi-armed Cossack fighting a snake.
Further on the work of Dmitry Fatum can be seen at 19B Velyka Zhytomyrska St. The mural is dedicated to Yaroslav the Wise, the famous 11th-century ruler of Kyiv.
Another noteworthy mural in the area depicts intertwined figures symbolizing human interactions. Sławomir Czajkowski, known as ZBK, painted it at 9 Olesia Honchara St.
People walk past “Ukrainian St. George” mural on 38 Velyka Zhytomyrska St. on April 10. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
The last mural on the route, entitled “Ukrainian St. George,” is at 38 Velyka Zhytomyrska St. It was painted by Oleksiy Bordusov of the Interesni Kazki art duo. It depicts Russia as a serpent and Ukraine as a falcon, defending its borders.
Route Three: Sviatoshyn
This route takes 20 minutes to walk, and 14 minutes by bus.
Murals are also freshening up Kyiv’s residential areas and making them a more vibrant place to live. To see another side of Kyiv, take the third route.
This route starts with a mural by Spanish painter Kenon Martinezon at 114/2 Peremohy Ave. He used a play of color and geometric shapes to create this work.
A mural depicts a girl singing, while wearing her mother’s shoes, on 3 Akademika Tupoleva St. in Kyiv. (Volodymyr Petrov)
Continue to a graffiti work at 95 Peremohy Ave. , where Portuguese street artist Antonio Correia aka Pantonio created a sense of freedom and flight, by depicting hybrid animals. There is also a button that switches on directional lighting to light up the mural at night – the light only shines while the button is pressed, however.
After that take bus No. 186 (Hr 5) from Sviatoshyn Metro Station and get off at the Cafe Ternopil stop. There can be found a mural by Donetsk painter Oleksandr Korban, at 3 Akademika Tupoleva St. It depicts a young girl singing into a hairbrush as if it is a microphone, while wearing her mother’s high-heeled shoes.
An artwork shows an elephant with balloons by Donetsk artist Oleksandr Korban is seen on the wall of the building on 3 Akademika Tupoleva St. on April 8 in Kyiv. (Volodymyr Petrov)
Still on 7B Academika Tupoleva St. there is a pair of murals on two sides of one building. One shows an elephant with balloons, saturated with bright colors, which was also created by Korban. The other mural was painted by Spanish artist Zosen, aka Zosen Bandino. He themed it on fairytale plants and mythical animals.
Next is a mural at 11 Akademika Tupoleva St. A team of painters from Lviv, the Kickit Art Group, decorated a boiler building with various graffiti, including a car, a girl and a bird. They created the work to brighten up the site for children and young people.
The last mural on the route was painted by Vyacheslav Shum at 13A Akademika Tupoleva St. It adds to the fairytale theme in the district, depicting amusing animals in a cartoonish style.
